Limiting my seafood repertoire to fish and only fish won’t be happening anytime soon.  Well for now… I don’t think so.  I enjoy mussels, crab, lobster, calamari and shrimp a lot more than I  should.

I was completely disappointed when the chef at school prepared paella. I wasn’t at all enthused. Since day one, I had anticipated Cuisines Across the World, which is the name of the course, and couldn’t wait for the demo on paella. For me, it was a rushed dish and the true essence of paella was not represented at all. I knew I could do better and was determined to make a seafood paella on my own. I even went out and bought a paella pan; thought it would me feel like I was really doing the damn thing….lol. I’ve always made one pot dishes, but nothing like paella. I was so anxious to photograph my masterpiece, I could hardly wait for it to cook. I used long grain rice( I forgot to buy paella rice) which isn’t traditional. Valencia and Bomba rice are usually recommended because they absorb the liquid well, without loosing their firmness.

A combination of meat and seafood can be used when making paella. If you are vegetarian, feel free to omit the meat. I added chicken, mussels and shrimp (and was super tempted to add rabbit, but I decide to wait until the next time around). I really just wanted to get the feel and get into the groove of preparing this awesome dish. It was marvelous! I know I did a fabulous job because my entire family inhaled the paella in no time.

Will I make seafood paella again? I can’t wait!